Nathan MacKinnon hopes the Western Conference Final between his Colorado Avalanche and the Edmonton Oilers is good for the NHL's balance sheets but says he's not fixating on the narrative of going head-to-head with Connor McDavid.
"I think he's been the best for a little bit now, and it's going to take a full team effort to stop him - and same with (Leon) Draisaitl," MacKinnon told reporters Monday.
"But they're deeper than teams give them credit for. … They wouldn't be where they're at without the full team effort, and for me, I'm not really thinking about (the storyline with McDavid) a whole lot. Obviously, I see that stuff. Hopefully, that gets more viewers and lowers escrow, but other than that, I don't care."
Escrow is a fixed percentage of the players' paychecks that's withheld in a separate account and only distributed once certain league revenue conditions are met. It's used as a safety net in case the NHL's financial projections fall short of expectations. The more money the league makes, the lower the escrow amount.
Draisaitl is tied with McDavid for the league lead in playoff assists (19) and points (26) this spring. Evander Kane is pacing all postseason goal-scorers with 12 in as many games.
The Avalanche also have additional star power. Colorado boasts Norris Trophy finalist Cale Makar - who had an historic opening round for a defenseman, recording 10 points in four contests. Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog, and Nazem Kadri are part of a skilled forward group that also includes Valeri Nichushkin, Artturi Lehkonen, and Andre Burakovsky.
Game 1 of the series is scheduled for Tuesday night in Denver.